Lucas Gets His Revenge
STAR WARS: EPISODE III -- REVENGE OF THE SITH

RATING: B

Starring: Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz.  Music by John Williams, Produced by Rick McCallum, Written and Directed by George Lucas.

Rated PG-13,  Running Time 142 MINS,  2.40:1 Anamorphic Scope Aspect Ratio.

I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm a die-hard "Star Wars" fan. Well maybe not a die-hard fan, you'll never see me dress up in a "Star Wars" costume. Okay, I'll admit, that's a lie, but who has never dreamed of wielding a lightsaber or traveling the galaxy? George Lucas's space opera has touched the lives of millions and has reached fanatic and almost religious proportions. There are those who accept the films as pieces of entertainment and others whose lives revolve around it. One thing is for sure and that is the series has had a major impact on the way films are made and marketed today. George Lucas is no doubt an innovator, but personally with his unlimited resources, I'm extremely enthusiastic about his return to more experimental filmmaking. In the meantime with the release of "Revenge of the Sith" the "Star Wars" movie saga is about to come to a close.

Three years after the events of Episode III, the Galactic civil war known as the Clone Wars are in full swing. The conflict led by former Jedi turned Sith lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) has been brought directly in orbit of Coruscant, the capital planet of the Republic. In a bold move the Separatist forces have kidnapped Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. In one of the most beautifully designed action sequences of the entire saga Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) pilot their star fighters in an attempt to reach the flagship of General Grievous, a lethal cyborg and commander of the enemy droid army. Not only is this wild ride through the battle visually stunning, but it's mostly done in one camera take with great attention to detail. The final space battle of "Return of the Jedi" pales in comparison as the camera tracks our two heroes, swooping between massive starships and explosions.

Obi-Wan and Anakin soon land aboard the lead starship and engage in a game of cat and mouse with robots before confronting Count Dooku and his apprentice General Grievous. Grievous is a part alien, part machine computer generated character skilled in lightsaber play despite an interesting asthmatic cough. Once Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue the Chancellor they find they must crash land the starship on the planet below before it burns up in orbit. As our heroes return home victorious, Anakin secretly rendezvous with his wife Padme (Natalie Portman) and discovers that she is several months pregnant. Despite the fact that exposure of their relationship could threaten their careers, Anakin is pleased at the news and sees it as a blessing.

As the war rages on several star systems, the Jedi Council determine that to put and end to the conflict General Grievous must be captured. They are also uncomfortable with the fact that Palpatine has remained in office for such an extended term and that his emergency powers granted by the Senate continues to grow. The politics of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy have always been convoluted and incensed fans with too much exposition, but "Episode III" sheds some light on the heart of the situation. Palpatine oversteps his bounds by requesting that Anakin become his personal representative on the Jedi Council. The council is aware of Anakin's growing power, yet despite the fact that he has been prophesized as the chosen one to bring balance to the force, they feel he is too young for great responsibility. He is granted membership but not made a Master Jedi, which incenses Anakin because he feels he has earned a diplomatic position. The council puts further pressure on their young charge by encouraging him to spy on the Chancellor's dealings.

Anakin experiences turmoil brewing within him as he struggles between his allegiance to the Jedi and his growing friendship with mentor Palpatine. He sees the war as a conflict destroying the Republic and disagrees with Padme who feels they may be on the wrong side. "You sound like a Separatist," he angrily tells her when she expresses that the Chancellor should resort to diplomacy instead of military force. Anakin has more than politics on his mind as he suffers from horrible nightmares in which Padme experiences a dark fate. Hayden Christensen received much criticism and blame last time for a performance that was hindered by a poorly written role. Here we see that Anakin is still impulsive and headstrong, but has also matured and Christensen's physical and vocal performance shows confidence and a sign of the man we know he'll become. Anakin also knows that his dreams have a habit of coming true just as he foresaw his mother's death. Master Yoda (Frank Oz) counsels Anakin that fear of loss is what ails him and can lead to the dark side. He must let go of his attachments is he is to find peace, but Anakin is too emotionally attached to Padme and his fear will lead to his downfall.

As several star systems suffer from attack by Separatist forces, Yoda journeys to the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk to lead a defense. While Anakin struggles to be the Jedi he knows he should be, he's also dismayed that Obi-Wan is chosen over him to lead an attack on General Grievous who has been located on the planet of Utapau. His confidant Chancellor Palpatine is well aware of his anger and desire for more responsibility and the fact that he once slaughtered a tribe of Sand people over the death of his mother. He begins to place doubt in Anakin's mind over whether the Jedi trust him and reveals he knows a thing or two about the Force.

On Utapau Obi-Wan locates Grievous and leads an attack with an army of clone troopers. Back on Coruscant, Anakin's nightmares progress and he discovers the true identity of the Sith lord Darth Sidious. Apparently the "Phantom Menace" is none other than Chancellor Palpatine himself, who staged the blockade of "Episode I" to achieve sympathy for Padme's homeworld of Naboo so that the Senate would elect him Chancellor. He then recruited fallen Jedi Count Dooku to rally a war against the Republic, legitimizing his emergency powers and the creation of a clone army, which he completely controls. Now he has set his sights on Anakin, the chosen one created by the Force itself, to become his new apprentice. Anakin is torn between his loyalties to the Jedi, but intrigued that Sidious claims to know how to use the power of the dark side to preserve life. That skill could save Padme but Anakin knows that it will come at a price.

The essence of "Revenge of the Sith" is how Anakin Skywalker made a deal with the devil and sold his soul, ultimately becoming the villain we know as Darth Vader. Vader is perhaps the most recognized and beloved villains in cinematic history but this story of his origin portrays him in a new light. In the first two episodes we saw him grow from a young boy "who knows nothing of greed" to a bright and skilled yet impulsive young man. Here we learn that his downfall did not simply begin as a lust for power but the desire to save the love of his life.  Christensen's performance works when he is a confident Jedi and skilled do-gooder and the romance between he and Portman is more believable and mature. But when his emotions rage and he gives in to his impulses it doesn't seem very credible how quickly this young man "flip-flops" to the dark side. Sidious does manage to convince Anakin that the Jedi are corrupt and that he wants to bring about an age of peace, yet the transition isn't gradual but rather immediate. There’s also little remorse from Anakin for his actions save for a single tear.

Lucas had three films to play this transformation out across and although hints of tragedy were played in "Episode II" the full realization of that tragedy is too immediate here. A factor that could have been used dramatically was the fact that Anakin should have blamed the Jedi for not allowing him to free him mother from slavery years early, but that's just a missed opportunity. The Sith see the Jedi as corrupt, a sort of gentleman's club that only takes action when it suits them. That isn't far from the truth and the balance to the force that Anakin was prophesized to bring unfortunately included them being wiped out. Though Anakin does join the Sith he eventually destroys them and achieves redemption when he sacrifices his life to save his son Luke in "Return of the Jedi."

Darth Vader is a greatly feared cinematic villain, so it is with great difficulty to imagine an irrational and whiny young man behind the iconic mask of fear. Then again in the original trilogy, Vader was a bit impulsive and had difficulty controlling his anger. In the original "Star Wars" or "The Empire Strikes Back" he was always either choking an insubordinate with the Force or executing them, so it's possible the irrational Anakin only slightly matured under the Emperor’s tutelage. What's interesting dramatically in this film is the triangle between Anakin and the Dark and Light side of the Force. While Natalie Portman is one of the three leads along with McGregor and Christensen, her screen time is limited because McDiarmid's Palpatine has a more crucial role.

McDiarmid has appeared in four of the films in the six episode series (five if you count his recent inclusion in the "Empire" DVD) and it's interesting to see an actor play an older and younger version of the same role.  It's clearly obvious to the experienced viewer as far back as "Episode I" that he has been the main villain and almost a joy to watch him play as a mild mannered politician in public and a power-mad evil mastermind in private.  We first saw him as a sadistic, elderly shriveled man in "Return of the Jedi".  He tempts Anakin with the mysteries of the ancient evil order known as the Sith.  Unlike the Jedi, the Sith lack compassion and self-sacrifice for the greater good; choosing to reflect their energies inward and use the force for evil and to gain power.  Here the true extent of his power is revealed and he's not the timid man the Jedi believe him to be nor is he unfamiliar with a lightsaber.  A dazzling confrontation with Sam Jackson's Mace Windu is not nearly as impressive as his showdown with Yoda, which finally provides an answer to why the Jedi Master went into hiding.  A battle of wits would have been far more interesting than a physical one, but this is a "Star Wars" movie after all.

Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi is the third point of the triangle and once again gives the best performance of the film.  What I enjoy is that he isn't attempting to play a younger version of Alec Guiness but that of the character.  It isn't difficult to see that the wise old wizard of the original trilogy was once a brash and adventurous young man who stood up for the ideals of democracy.  As I said the triangle between Anakin, Obi-Wan and Palpatine is the most interesting dramatic element of the film, but it is also one of the weakest.  Palpatine's seduction of Anakin is not completely developed nor is the relationship between he and Obi-Wan.  The love and respect is there as Anakin constantly attempts to honor his master and Obi-Wan continually supports him despite the disappointments, but the fall-out is not as powerful as it should be.  After performing duties for Palpatine Anakin is all too quick to oppose, Obi-Wan the man who practically raised him as a surrogate father.  He's raging with confusion and anger, but is it really justified just because Palpatine told him the Jedi are evil?  Even Obi-Wan is angry with Anakin for accepting such a lie.  Only McGregor holds up the emotional side of the equation with believability as he struggles to cope with the path Anakin has taken and the fact that he’s emotional divorced himself from all who love him.  His disappointment isn't that of anger but of guilt as he says "I've failed you Anakin, I've truly failed you" while they engage in combat.  "You were supposed to destroy the Sith not join them!"

"Episode III" could have used more polishing in the dramatic department, but for the first time in this prequel trilogy the dialogue doesn't sound as if it was written poorly on the back of a napkin.  Lucas is known for his inept ability with dialogue and if there's any truth that celebrated playwright Tom Stoppard fine-tuned the screenplay it shows.  Unlike the classic trilogy, this prequel series is more about spectacle than story and what we see on the screen is truly spectacular.  The environments and exotic locales of alien planets are more believable that the previous films as well as the computer generated characters.

General Grievous's screen time is not very extensive, but this computer creation interacts with live actors very believably and with lethal results.  Although Lucas's ILM is the premiere f/x house in Hollywood, their rival competition are beginning to surpass them.  Films like the "Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings" trilogies had better flesh and blood CG characters and made digital face replacement more realistic.  No matter how hard ILM have tried I can plainly see that they've taken Ian McDiarmid's or Chris Lee's faces and pasted them onto a younger stunt double wielding a lightsaber.  They almost look like video game characters.  The film is book-ended by two rather exciting duels between Yoda and Palpatine and Obi-Wan and Anakin, the latter being the most impressive.  It's the face-off that fans have waited decades to see as Obi-Wan stands up to his apprentice on the lava planet of Mustafar, the result of which is the birth of Darth Vader.  The confrontation could have played longer with greater emotional intensity, but its construction and the geography of the action make it work.

I don't want to give the impression that I was disappointed with "Episode III"; it has the greatest dramatic depth of the last four movies.  We all know what's going to happen, just unsure of how it will happen and the film succeeds in making you feel uncomfortable as events unfold.  Still as a "Star Wars" fan I wanted more from this entire prequel trilogy.  The story that Lucas has spread out over three films could have been told in one and the exposition has been so drawn out that it’s exhausting to try and keep up with it or even care.  I did not want every question about this era in "Star Wars" history answered but there is much more I wanted to see.  Missing are the fate of Obi-Wan's mentor Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) who is mentioned by Yoda to be reaching out from the afterlife, but it’s never shown.  Also gone is the appearance of a younger Senator Mon Mothma, the leader of the future rebellion who appeared early in "Return of the Jedi".  She was to be played by Australian native Genevieve O'Reilly and there is even an action figure of her character on toy shelves right now.  We also never learn the true meaning of the name Vader and his screen time in that classic armor is limited.

What bonuses true fans do get is the appearance of Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as he protects Yoda on Kashyyyk and the reason why C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) never remembered these earlier years.  We also witness the adoption of baby Leia by the honorable Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) and the moment when Darth Vader takes his first breath is tragic yet it will make you smile.  Although this is the darkest film of the entire series it does end in light as we witness the birth of "A New Hope".  The twenty-year gap between "Episodes III and IV" tie together better than any of the films with a final shot that recalls the most powerful image of the "Star Wars" saga.  Despite the PG-13 rating this is an appropriate film for children who have been raised responsibly.  The violence is the result of lightsaber action, which any well-rounded child can determine is an object of fantasy.

John Williams's final "Star Wars" score features new themes that aren't as memorable as those of the classic trilogy, but are woven into this space opera quite well including one cue with a Middle-Eastern tone.  I just wish that Lucas's intervention as an editor did not constantly interfere with Williams's musical structure by re-using and inserting music cues from previous films that are too familiar.  The best way to see and hear all of this is to find a digital presentation in your area.  The space battles do look more detailed but it’s the texture and skin tone of the actors that digital photography truly brings to life.  Even though I experienced a digital version of this film it was not the final version, which is said to include slightly more footage as well as the fate of Yoda.

So has the circle been complete?  Do I feel satisfied as a fan?  On one hand I was sorry just before the lights went down that this would be the last "Star Wars" film I'd ever see for the first time.  Each time I see one of these films I'm trying to recapture feelings from the classic trilogy; memories of a childhood that's long gone and I can never return to.  "Fear of loss leads to the dark side."  On the other hand I can breath a sigh of relief and say, "Thank God it's over."  Though "Star Wars" is said to continue through television and books, this six episode serial is over.  I think the first generation will prefer the classic trilogy but in time future fans will enjoy this as a six-part opus.

Thematically the films are structured to fit together as a great whole with a beginning a climax and resolution.  Lucas made them in the spirit of Saturday matinee serials, not in depth dramatic pieces.  Simply put its the story of a man believed to be the chosen one who fell from grace and eventually fulfilled his destiny and redeemed himself through his son.  It just took Lucas six films to tell it.  So who would I choose to join, Jedi or Sith.  Well that's easy.  I'd join the Jedi in the classic trilogy and the Sith in the prequels.  But remember this is all fantasy.  All good things must come to an end.  I just wonder what the die-hard fans that gather on line weeks before the film's release will do once it's over.  It reminds me of a scene from Forrest Gump where he decides to abandon his four year jogging trek across America and one of his followers screams "Now what the hell are we supposed to do?"  I guess its time to grow up.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!